The Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has told firmly to his cabinet to boycott a popular talk show on the national broadcaster, The Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC), that recently came under criticism after a former terror suspect was allowed on live television show Q&A two weeks ago.
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has cancelled his Monday night appearance, according to local media reports and further development. Joyce’s office cited the Prime Minister’s order for why he cancelled his appearance, stated a media statement. “The Prime Minister has communicated that he does not want any frontbencher to appear on Q&A,” an official spokesman told the Sydney Morning Herald on his behalf.
The Q&A program has become a lightning rod for debate in Australia about national security and freedom of speech. The channel, last week, conceded it was wrong to let Sydney man Zaky Mallah appear live on the programme to ask a question. It is undertaking a review of the decision.
In 2005, Mallah was convicted of threatening to kill government officers but acquitted of terrorism charges. From his position in the Q&A audience, he confronted Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Steven Ciobo about the government’s plans to strip dual nationals of citizenship if they supported terrorism.
Ciobo, who had been a panel guest, had told Mallah that he had been pleased to be part of a government “that would say that you were out of the country”.
Mallah, on the other hand, had angrily reverted back to the government by stating that he had “just justified to many Australian Muslims in the communitytonight to leave and go to Syria and join [Islamic State] because of ministers like him”.
The ABC show allows audience members to put questions to a panel of figures from various sides of Australian political and social life. High-profile politicians regularly appear on it. Joyce had said on Sunday he would be appearing on Q&A, before being told not to. An official government review led by the Department of Communications found the producers were aware of his criminal convictions but not his more-recent derogatory social media posts when he was selected to ask a question.
Tags: ABC Australia Australian Broadcasting Corp Q&A Tony Abbott
